About Our Instructor:Sabina Pillai has a Master’s degree in Clinical and Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto and has worked in mental health research and counselling for over 7 years.
After experiencing the powerful impact of mindfulness meditation in her own life, she was compelled to learn and teach the science of mindfulness.
Currently, she counsels a diverse set of clients in the city of Toronto, using mindfulness as the basis for the positive growth work she has been able to do with her clients.

About Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program:

Mindfulness is the meditative practice of non-judgmental attentiveness to our experience in the present moment. It focuses on developing two fundamental skills: awareness and equanimity. Awareness is the ability to concentrate attention on what is going on right now, whereas equanimity is the ability to remain calm and relaxed in the midst of any stressful situations. Sounds simple yet very much applicable to daily life situations!

Since we are most of the time occupied by our memories of the past or worries for the future, we don’t have the power to experience the present moment to our full capacity, concentrating all of our mental, emotional and physical skills to get the best possible 'outcome of the moment'. However, the presence of mindfulness can completely change our life, and changes are noticeable almost immediately.

Being rooted in ancient practice, the positive effects of mindfulness meditation have lately also been recognized by the scientific community. Mindfulness has been used to help people cope with daily life stressors and a wide range of health issues including cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune system disorder, depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD etc.

While the science endorses its supportive role, we, at the Art of Life Community Health Centre, approach mindfulness as a way of life. What we are working towards goes beyond the typical sitting meditation practice. Rather, we are aiming to cultivate a mindful way of living that helps us to engage more fully with life by changing how we relate to our external circumstances and internal experiences. This ability to balance our lives can happen through consistent practice and support from others who are also on this journey.

We invite you to begin the learning process towards mindfulness and experience a way of effectively coping with the stresses and thriving despite all of life’s challenges.

The Art of Life Community Health Centre has been committed to using integrative approach to improving our patients’ physical, emotional and mental health. Aiming to merge the art and science of positive growth and healthy living, we are offering an 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction course taught by an experienced instructor, Sabina Pillai, M.A.